Superstrata’s e-bike is an odd specimen — there’s no two methods about it.

In some ways in which is sensible; the bike’s idea, borne out in seamless 3D-printed carbon fiber, springs from an equally unusual premise. We’ll get into that.

Speaking to Sonny Vu, founding father of Superstrata’s guardian firm Arevo, the bikes had been crafted not out of a love of biking, however relatively for the hunt for a climate-friendly city transportation resolution or any conventional justification for going to all the difficulty of constructing an e-bike.

So Vu created the Superstrata e-bike (and its non-electrified counterpart) as a proof-of-concept for Arevo’s carbon fiber manufacturing course of. In that mild, how the bike wound up makes excellent sense — even when shopping for one most likely doesn’t.

“Everybody thought we’re an e-bike firm, however we’re not. We’re a sophisticated manufacturing firm,” Vu instructed TechCrunch. We definitely can’t blame e-bike fans for being confused.

Superstrata is deep into what Vu calls “deep tech” — principally manufacturing processes so innovative that they haven’t even proven up in shopper merchandise but. “This isn’t your typical 3D printing system — it’s constructed for industrial velocity and scale,” Vu stated.

Arevo, Superstrata’s guardian firm, is exploring aerospace functions sooner or later and probably UAVs. Superstrata and Arevo spun up the e-bike as a shopper proof-of-concept to fill the hole whereas they wade via the regulatory crimson tape that defines extra advanced industries. The corporate’s bike frames are at the moment printed in Vietnam, although Vu has plans for print farms within the U.S. and Europe to scale back transport occasions and customarily make its entire carbon fiber printing operation extra environment friendly.

Picture Credit: TechCrunch

So, carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is one frontier of local weather expertise, promising fuel-saving light-weight supplies at the price of a reasonably energy-intensive manufacturing course of. Superstrata’s silky, unibody bike frames are made out of industrial-grade 3D-printed thermoplastic carbon fiber composite relatively than “thermoset” — a extra widespread polymer course of. Whereas Vu was desirous to dive into the technical benefits and the manufacturing course of, on the finish of the day what you might want to know is: That is an e-bike and its body is made out of very fancy 3D-printed carbon fiber.

Right here’s the fundamental pitch. The Superstrata e-bike is a carbon fiber unibody bike that’s {custom} printed to satisfy your preferences, souped up with a 250W pedal-assist motor and shipped in an array of enjoyable prints and colours. The smooth, angular design of the bike’s body and its conspicuous absence of a seat tube — the a part of the body that may usually circulate down from the place the saddle sits — is pleasantly futuristic or downright odd, relying on who you ask.

A luxurious value

Whereas early critics raised alarms about Superstrata’s lacking seat tube, which might usually join the highest tube and down tube to type a powerful triangle form to carry the rider’s weight, Vu assured us that the one, seamless piece of carbon fiber is rated as much as 750 lb and is greater than robust sufficient to carry a bike owner. Driving the Superstrata, I wasn’t involved concerning the energy of the carbon fiber, although the potential for smoothing the trip with changes involving a seat tube are a missed alternative. The body is robust and the trip is stiff — and that’s simply how it’s.

(The body’s design is eye-catching even with out the lacking tube, and does bear some placing similarities to Greg LeMond’s excellent-looking e-bike the Prolog. It’s doable that Superstrata printed these frames however the firm isn’t listed anyplace and so they do boast a way more conventional geometry.)

The lacking chunk of body turns heads, however Superstrata’s different aesthetic decisions additionally set the bike aside visually. The corporate is all about customization and that applies to the paint too. My overview unit was an intense purple, perhaps a periwinkle. Actually, as somebody who wears all black most days, the colour damage my soul a bit however my spouse discovered it interesting.

Among the particular paint jobs you possibly can order are very cool — together with two that appear like starry skies and one other designed to evoke the aurora borealis — however they’ll run you an additional $1,250. That additional price would get you a lot of the solution to a extra inexpensive e-bike made by rivals like Cost or Rad Energy. This isn’t a motorbike for the pockets aware (most of us).

Superstrata actually must take away these deceptive pattern pictures with built-in lights. However: Cool paint. Picture Credit: Superstrata

That selection and different elements of the Superstrata really feel a bit “It’s one banana, Michael. What may it price?” I’m not satisfied the bike is basically designed to be offered to a lot of anybody and that’s only a bizarre takeaway to have when reviewing one thing.

Superstrata’s e-bike is clearly meant to current as a luxurious product, however the expertise of the trip and the deeper design doesn’t precisely give off an opulent, cohesive vibe. On the finish of the day, if you happen to requested, What’s particular about this bike? the complete reply is “the 3D-printed unibody carbon fiber body.”

At this value level — the e-bike begins at $3,500 — Superstrata’s base providing offers you numerous much less in your cash than what you’d get with a way more absolutely featured electrical bike just like the Cowboy ($2,990), VanMoof’s new mannequin ($3,498) and even its last-generation fashions, which float round $2,000. These tech-forward bikes pack perks like built-in interfaces, companion apps, embedded computerized back and front lights, cellphone chargers and alarm techniques for at or round what you’d pay for a base-price Superstrata bike.

A characteristic that illustrates this nicely is the truth that Superstrata initially deliberate to have built-in back and front lights — most of the bikes pictured on its web site nonetheless misleadingly present this — however that concept was scrapped within the completed model. The lights, the little pc for the electrical motor and any bells and whistles are all aftermarket, not built-in into the bike’s design.

After chatting with Vu — who was clear to the purpose of admitting the entire e-bike concept was simply form of for the hell of it — it didn’t notably really feel like Superstrata was making an attempt to actively mislead folks concerning the headlight scenario or anything. The truth that Superstrata’s web site exhibits a product you actually can’t purchase simply additional demonstrates that it isn’t this firm’s essential factor. The issue with that’s that most individuals making a purchase order this massive would really feel safer shopping for from an organization that lives and breathes bikes — not carbon fiber.

Picture Credit: TechCrunch

Customized carbon fiber

Again to the body — the meat of the innovation right here. The Superstrata bike is {custom} printed to order and that’s an enormous boon for people who find themselves on the extremes of the peak spectrum, together with adults beneath 5’2”, who apparently ordered the bike with gusto. For these people, who’re hard-pressed to seek out correctly sized bikes elsewhere, Superstrata’s body measurement choices are most likely genuinely an enormous deal. For those who’ve searched excessive and low for a motorbike to suit your unusually small or massive stature, Superstrata’s bikes is likely to be a terrific selection.

For anybody who falls within the normal-ish top spectrum, the remainder of the customization course of is comparatively shallow. When counting on a motorbike for commuting or city transportation functions, the actual customization choices that matter provide utility — issues like baskets, entrance or again racks and tire width.

Constructing the bike, you possibly can select from an “city” or “sport” configuration for the bars, yielding an off-the-cuff upright trip or a extra aerodynamic drop bar, street bike model. You’ll be able to go for a single velocity or a number of gears, an choice that most individuals would most likely favor however one which additionally provides $500. You’ll be able to decide whether or not you’d need tires for the street or for “paths” — perhaps gravel and light-weight offroading — however there’s not a lot element supplied right here. Superstrata buries the parts checklist, however the overview unit we had packed Shimano disc brakes, Bafang powering the electrical aspect of the bike and a seize bag of manufacturers for the remaining.

After that stuff is dialed in, you possibly can enter your particular top and measurements for a custom-sized body. On that depend, we couldn’t actually make a dedication — my overview bike was designed for somebody a bit taller, although it was nonetheless rideable and okay. What else? The expertise of driving the bike is okay, however nothing notably subtle. The body’s design makes for a really stiff trip, so be careful for being jolted by uneven terrain.

The battery life is greater than sufficient for regular wants. Superstrata claims that it’ll final for 60 miles, however on a better help setting, you’re going to get considerably lower than that. Nonetheless, the battery would serve you for not less than 20 miles, even when drawing extra energy, which is greater than effective for many around-the-town wants. It’s additionally value mentioning right here that the Superstrata e-bike doesn’t have a throttle — principally a button that provides you a burst of velocity to energy the bike alongside. A throttle is a very nice solution to scoot rapidly via harmful intersections or to get your bike to keep up a better velocity and it’s robust to return when you’ve used one. The Superstrata e-bike can go as much as 20 miles per hour however you’ll need to work for it.

On that observe, Superstrata’s state-of-the-art body is likely to be carbon fiber, however the e-bike doesn’t precisely really feel like a featherweight. As a result of the bike is so mild within the entrance and so heavy within the again the place the motor lives, it really feels heavier than it’s. It’s additionally extra awkward to hold than a motorbike that’s uniformly weighted and also you’re not going to wish to be lugging this factor down various stairs at a time.

The Superstrata web site claims that the e-bike weighs 24 kilos, however there’s no approach this factor weighs that a lot lower than my common trip, a VanMoof X3 that’s a hefty however evenly weighted 45.8 kilos. Vu famous that the ultimate model’s weight varies, however the e-bike weighs in round 38.5 to 39.6 lb, sufficient to just about obscure the burden financial savings of the carbon fiber.

In the end, the Superstrata might be a stable choice for somebody who falls outdoors of regular top parameters and desperately needs an e-bike. Superstrata’s bikes may also be a good selection for somebody who needs a custom-printed carbon fiber bike body and is assured about dialing in the remaining themselves, although shopping for the body alone isn’t an choice on the web site.

In both of those circumstances, the superior carbon fiber expertise doesn’t come low cost and neither does this bike — particularly when in comparison with rivals constructing feature-rich, cohesive e-bike experiences. Superstrata ought to most likely deal with its {custom} unibody carbon fiber frames and let different firms — or folks — construct the bikes out. And since this entire factor was an experiment anyway, which may very nicely be what the corporate plans to do.